Experimental study of the dynamics of energetic electron beams in planar and cylindrical wire arrays and x-pinches by means of hard x-ray spectroscopy and spectropolarimetry on the 1 MA z-pinch generator at UNR

Experiments with planar and cylindrical wire arrays and x-pinches were performed at the 1MA, 100 ns rise time Zebra generator. A time-resolved hard x-ray polarimeter ($>$30kev) based on Compton scattering effect has been used together with fast hard and soft x-ray detectors, a time-gated pinhole camera, and a hard x-ray spectrometer. The different types of electron beams were investigated using silicon diode signals (filters with cut off energies $>$2kev,$>$9kev,$>$30kev ) by comparing with hard x-ray polarimeter signals. The experimental observation of cold K$\alpha $ lines were also used for investigation of high energy electron beams. Estimated degrees of polarization of x-ray radiation varies from 38 {\%} to 70{\%} for different types of plasma electron beams. Electron beams are more collimated in a cathode to anode direction for cylindrical wire arrays than for planar wire arrays and X-pinches. Work supported by the DOE/ NNSA under UNR grant DE-FC52-01NV14050.